Is Patrick Eaves the second coming of Danny Cleary? And an IJS fave faces off against the Wings tonight

APPatrick Eaves has been a valuable role player for the Wings so far this season.Bookmark It's Just Sports or subscribe to our RSS feed.

Unable to find any real success in his NHL career, Dan Cleary was invited to 2005 Red Wings training camp on a tryout basis.

The former first-round pick didn't fit in with Chicago or Edmonton and was looking for a new start after playing the lockout season in Sweden.

He was good enough to make the team out of training camp and signed a four-year extension with Detroit midway through the 2007-08 season.

Nicknamed "Charlie Buckets" on the Abel to Yzerman blog, Cleary's story from first-round pick, to bust, to Stanley Cup Champion and key role player in an organization like Detroit's is nothing short of remarkable.

Enter Patrick Eaves. He found out he was being bought out of his contract over the summer after two disappointing seasons with Ottawa and Carolina, respectively. Another first round pick, Eaves scored 20 goals in 58 games his rookie year, but only scored a combined 11 the past two seasons partially due to injuries.

He was signed bargain basement by the Wings and has played well in a primarily defensive, checking line role. He's tough on the forecheck, hits hard and cleanly (he only has two penalty minutes so far this season) and has a quick, tricky shot.

Maybe his most impressive asset is his work ethic. Mike Babcock has praised his efforts several times this season, claiming he's the type of guy you like to see succeed.

“The
kid basically started this year out of the lineup,” Babcock said. “He
came to every pregame warm-up, put his equipment on without being
asked. He comes to every power play meeting, he’s never been asked. He
comes to every penalty-kill meeting. He does everything like a pro.

“I’m a big believer in these guys that were good and got set back by concussions, that they’ll eventually get their game back.”

I think Eaves can score more than 10 goals this season, which would be a huge secondary scoring boost to a team that, at times, relies too heavily on Zetterberg and Datsyuk to get the job done.

It's too early to tell if Eaves will have the same fit that Cleary did, but it appears he's well on his way.

A storm is coming

When the Red Wings face off against Tampa Bay Thursday, they'll be playing against former Western Michigan standout, and It's Just Sports favorite, Paul Szczechura.

Szczechura was called up from the minors after Drew Miller was put on waivers last month and has scored twice in 16 games with the Bolts this season.